A blundering government agency blew £124,000 filling a Victorian rail bridge with concrete – only to waste a further £352,000 taking it all back out again.
National Highways was accused of “cultural vandalism” when it inexplicably dumped thousands of tons of concrete into the arch below the 160-year-old Great Musgrave bridge.
Campaigners were outraged at the work, which they say was carried out needlessly and without consultation, whilst civil engineers said work to the bridge near Brough, Cumbria, made them ashamed of their profession.
Labour peer Richard Faulkner accused National Highways of “cultural vandalism” during a House of Lords debate in July 2021 before Eden District Council decided there had been no need for the work to be done in the first place and that planning permission should have been sought.
That left red-faced National Highways to order the painstaking job of returning the bridge to its original state at taxpayer’s expense.
Graeme Bickerdike, of the Historical Railways Estate campaign group, said: “National Highways has wasted almost half-a-million pounds on a structure which, prior to its infilling, was fundamentally fine.
“The country’s legacy railway assets were gifted to us by skilled craftsmen during a period of exceptional ambition and courage during the Victorian era. They will continue to serve us for many more years if we look after them properly.”
Mike Thompson, from the volunteer-run railway restoration group Stainmore Railway Company, described the cost as “eye-watering”.
He added: “The damage has been caused by National Highways through its blinkered approach to managing these assets and a lack of dialogue with stakeholders.
“They should have to put things right. In that respect, we’ve been very lucky.”
Hélène Rossiter, from National Highways, confirmed: “It cost £352,000 to safely and carefully remove the infill without damaging Great Musgrave bridge.”
Ms Rossiter said it would continue to inspect the bridge annually and deliver any future repairs that may be required so the bridge can continue to be used for “many more years to come”.
